Human activity has increased the direct warming effect of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere by 50 percent above pre-industrial levels during the past 25 years, according to NOAA's 10th Annual Greenhouse Gas Index . In 2015, the global average CO₂ concentration reached 399 parts per million, increasing by a record amount of almost 3 ppm. From the end of the Ice Age to the beginning of the industrial era, atmospheric carbon dioxide remained remarkably stable at 278 ppm.

Some 350 scientists are gathering in Stockholm from 17 to 20 May under the auspices of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) to discuss the challenges of downscaling global climate models to generate regional climate data for decision-making. The conference will focus on advancing the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX), which is a global framework for coordinating the regional downscaling of climate scenarios. "We will use this CORDEX conference to explore some very challenging questions about regional climate," said David Carlson, director of the WCRP, which...

The previously strong 2015-16 El Niño is now weakening rapidly. However it is still likely to influence climate patterns in some regions until mid-year. Climate prediction models indicate a return to ENSO-neutral during May 2016, with odds now increasing of La Niña development in the third quarter. A resurgence of El Niño is highly unlikely in 2016. National Meteorological and Hydrological Services will closely monitor changes in the state of ENSO over the coming months. Ocean temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean exceeded +2.0 degrees Celsius above average between...

The 37th Session of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Joint Scientific Committee (JSC) took place from 25 to 27 April 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland. This annual meeting brought together 68 leading scientists, climate experts and planning staff from 18 countries to assess progress towards the organization’s objectives and to set the future science agenda. The two main objectives of WCRP are to determine the predictability of climate and the effects of human activities on climate. This information can be utilized in a wide range of practical applications of direct relevance, benefit and...